Whole Dude – Whole Spirituality – Page 109 – Whole Spirituality describes the Unity of God, Soul, and Matter using a Ground Substance of Spiritual Nature.

The Right to Life means a Life for Life

Rebbapragada Subbarao 1893 - 1948 - Distinguished Citizen of Rajahmundry — **The Right to Life means a Life for Life.** **REBBAPRAGADA SUBBARAO (1893-1948), LAWYER, POET, SPORTSMAN, DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN OF RAJAHMUNDRY**.

REBBAPRAGADA SUBBARAO (1893-1948), LAWYER, POET, SPORTSMAN, DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN OF RAJAHMUNDRY

This entry is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather, Shri.Rebbapragada Subbarao, who served the British Crown as a Public Prosecutor at East Godavari District Sessions Court in Rajahmundry for two terms from 1940. He never hesitated in seeking the capital punishment when he prosecuted criminals for the offense of murder. I was not fortunate enough to witness his performance as a Public Prosecutor but my grandmother shared information about his stellar qualities and his great reputation. While I grew up in Rajahmundry, during a school field trip, I visited the Central Jail in Rajahmundry where the death sentence is carried out by hanging. My impression from that trip was that the death sentence is appropriate and is not cruel. This entry is an effort to understand my grandfather’s support for capital punishment.

The Right to Life:

Human beings everywhere demand the realization of diverse values to ensure their individual and collective well-being. A fundamental value that is universally claimed by all people is that of the Right to Life. Thomas Jefferson asserts that his countrymen are a “free people claiming their rights as derived from the laws of nature and not as the gift of their Chief Magistrate.” In the Declaration of Independence proclaimed on July 4, 1776, he eloquently claims, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The basic principle of the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789) was that “all men are born free and equal in rights,” which were specified as the rights of Liberty, Private Property, the inviolability of the person, and resistance to oppression. It specifically states that Liberty consists in being able to do anything that does not harm others: thus the exercise of the natural rights of every human has no bounds other than those that ensure to the other members of society the enjoyment of these same rights.

The Reason for Punishment:

**The Right to Life means a Life for Life.** **If there is no penalty attached, the above words would be vain words.**

A Right which is not protected is not a Right and a Law without penalty attached is not a Law. If the Constitution declares a ‘Right to Life’ and if Moses proclaims the divine law that commands that “You shall not murder” (The Book of Exodus 20:13, and The Book of Deuteronomy 5:17), if there is no penalty attached, these words would be vain words.

A penalty is imposed as a consequence to an act of wrongdoing. Punishment is generally conceived as the infliction of pain. Why men should be punished is one of the most controversial questions in the field of moral and political thought, and in psychology and theology as well. There are three major types of wrongdoing in relation to which men discuss the nature and the need of punishment, its justice or its expediency. Punishment is traditionally considered in relation to, evil or wicked actions, violations of law, and sin. Murder is an act which simultaneously violates the moral, the civil and the divine law.

The Purpose of Punishment:

**The Right to Life means a Life for Life**. **The concept of punishment proposed by Jesus demands self-evaluation.**

The question about the purpose of punishment critically tests the meaning of anyone’s theory of Law and Justice. The purpose of punishment will affect the penalties to be imposed for wrongdoing. Some people think that punishment need only be inherently just and others think that punishment cannot be justified without reference to its utility or expediency. The purpose of punishment could be described under three different categories:

1. Punishment should be justified only by its consequences.

2. Punishment should be a combination of awarding a just penalty and securing good effects.

3. Punishment should be a just retaliation exclusively.

The Utilitarian Theory of Punishment:

This view is based upon the idea that punishment should not be equal to revenge or an act of hostility. A punishment is an evil inflicted by public authority on those who have transgressed the law so that the will of men may be better disposed to obedience. The chief aim of punishment is securing the reformation and the deterrence of criminals and to maintain public peace. The Court does not exist for punishment only but also for the salvation of the criminal. The spirit and meaning of punishment is seen as the salvation and the reformation of the wrongdoer.

According to Socrates, “to suffer punishment is another name for being justly corrected when you do wrong,” and he “who is punished and suffers retribution, suffers justly.” He believed that justice is restored to the soul of the wrongdoer. “The proper office of punishment is two-fold; he who is rightly punished ought either to become better and profit by it or he ought to be made an example to his fellows, that they may see what he suffers, and fear and become better.”

Plato had implied that virtue could be taught. “He who desires to inflict rational punishment does not retaliate for a past wrong which cannot be undone.” He punishes for the sake of prevention. Plato thought that the death penalty should be imposed only on the incurable who cannot profit from an example to other men not to offend.

Hobbes places the reason for punishment in the future rather than in the past in its utility to procure certain effects rather than retaliation. “Men look not at the greatness of the evil past, but the greatness of the good to follow.” We are forbidden to inflict punishment with any other design than for the correction of the offender, or the direction of others.

Locke derives from natural law the right to punish those who transgress that law and to restrain and prevent the like offence.

Rousseau lays great emphasis on the reformation of the criminal. “There is not a single ill-doer who could not be turned to some good. The State has no right to put to death, even for the sake of making an example, anyone whom it can leave alive without danger.”

The Retributive Purpose of Punishment:

**The Right to Life means a Life for Life**. **In the modern human society, the individual has the right to report a crime and the justice is served by the Society after due verification of the crime.**

Kant and Hegel viewed that retribution or retaliation is the only basis for punishment. Punishment should be purely retributive and it need not serve some end beyond itself and need not produce some desired consequence in the future. We should punish only because we have, under the moral law, a duty to do so. The purpose of punishment is to uphold the moral law.

The effect of the punishment upon the wrongdoer or upon others whose conduct may be affected by punishments meted out, must not be taken into account at all. Punishment of the transgressor may heal the feelings of those he has injured and it may even satisfy a desire for revenge, but those factors should have no motivating force. Nothing should be sought except the preservation of the balance sheet of justice. Every wrong is duly requited by a proportionate measure of punishment. It should not consider any person except the wrongdoer himself.

According to Kant, “Judicial punishment can never be administered merely as a means of promoting another good, either with regard to the Criminal himself, or to Civil Society, but must in all cases be imposed only because the individual on whom it is inflicted has committed a Crime…….The Penal Law is a Categorical Imperative.”Punishment cannot be justified except as doing the work of Justice.

The Right of Retaliation (ius talionis ):

**The Right to Life means a Life for Life**

Kant says, “It is just the Principle of Equality by which the pointer Scale of Justice is made to incline no more to one side than the other; It may be rendered by saying that the undeserved evil which anyone commits on another, is to be regarded as perpetrated on himself…….This is the Right of Retaliation; and properly understood it is the only principle which can definitely assign both the quality and the quantity of a just penalty. All other standards are wavering and uncertain; and on account of other considerations involved in them, they contain no principle conformable to the sentence of pure and strict Justice.” Retributive Punishment or retaliation seems to express the principle of justice or fairness in exchange.

A Life for Life ( lex talionis ):

A Life for Life is the symbolic statement in the Greek as well as the Hebrew tradition. “Who so’er shall take the sword, shall perish by the sword.” Retribution is not revenge. It is the righting of wrong. It is the very act of crime itself which vindicates itself.

The gravity of the offense is the only determinant of the severity of the punishment. The punishment should fit the crime, not the nature of the criminal as someone capable of being benefitted by punishment. Kant and Hegel do not think that the justification of the death penalty depends upon the curability or incurability of the offender. The taking of the criminal’s life need not be motivated by a desire to protect society from his future depredations. It is sufficient that he has taken a life and it should be repaid by a proportionate requital.

“Whoever sheds the blood of man,

by man shall his blood be shed:

for in the image of God

has God made man. ” (The Book of Genesis, chapter 9, verse 6)

The reason murderers deserved the death penalty was the supreme value of human life. To destroy human life is to attack the image of God, and therefore God demands an accounting.

Murder must be described as a sin, as a crime and as a vice. The Criminal gives his consent for Capital Punishment by his very act.

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India,

M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970.

**The Right to Life means a Life for Life. If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image.**

DEPENDENCE UPON FOREIGN OIL IS A MUST FOR THE UNITED STATES

UNITED STATES IMPORTS 45 PERCENT OF ITS OIL FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

As the gas prices across the United States hit record high levels, I am not concerned about the United States’ dependence upon oil from the Middle East. If the United States is not willing to buy its oil from the Middle East, China is in a position to gobble it up. The position of the United States as a global superpower is dependent upon its level of oil consumption. If and when China steps in to dominate the oil market, it would proportionately increase its military supremacy and we would witness the Chinese war ships patrolling the Persian Gulf.

United States may forego its need for Middle East oil, but could it step back from its role to provide peace and stability in that region ???

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Ex – Number XSCO – 324 CAPTAIN/NAQEEB FORCE MEDICAL SERVICES

Headquarters Sultanate of Oman’s Land Forces,

Muaskar Al Murtafaa, MAM, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

Bharat Darshan – City of Rajahmundry shapes My connection to India and Indian literature

Rajahmundry Formulates My Connection to India and Indian Literature

**Bharat Darshan – City of Rajahmundry shapes My connection to India and Indian literature. Shri. Sarat Chandra Chatterjee or Chattopadhyay, popularly known as Sarat Babu.**

SARAT CHANDRA CHATTERJEE, POPULARLY KNOWN AS SARAT BABU — **Shri. Sarat Chandra Chatterjee or Chattopadhyay, popularly known as Sarat Babu.**

SARAT CHANDRA CHATTERJEE (CHATTOPADHYAY), SEPT 15, 1876 – JAN 16, 1938

I belong to Rajahmundry where Kandukuri Veeresalingam had written the first novel ever written in the Telugu language. However, it was ‘ SARAT BABU’ who had first provoked my interest in reading Telugu literature. Sarat Babu, the famous novelist had written in Bengali language but fortunately, his books are translated into Telugu language and while I grew up in Rajahmundry, his novels were extremely popular he quickly aroused my curiosity.

**Rajahmundry – My connection to India and Indian literature.**

In 1953, the Telugu film ‘DEVADASU’ with Akkineni Nageswara Rao (A N R) in the lead role was released and the songs from that film though not written by Sarat Babu also became very popular. It was not the popularity of this film which had drawn me towards the novels written by Sarat Babu.

I actually started reading his translated stories a few years later after joining Danavaipeta Municipal Corporation High School. I was attracted by his powerful narrative style and the portrayal of the characters in his stories. His novels were easily available in the City Public Library. I know Telugu people who learned the Bengali language just to get the pleasure of reading Sarat Babu’s original works. I also know some of my friends who acquired their names from Sarat Babu. I should acknowledge the fact that his novels gave me the impetus to develop the habit of reading books. While Telugu people could embrace and adore a Bengali novelist, I have not witnessed any love for Tamil writers. While I attended Danavaipeta Municipal High School in Rajahmundry, I learned about ‘TIRUKKURAL’ and was not introduced to any other Tamil literature.

The Bengal, Andhra, Tamil Connection:

Since Mylapore, Madras is my birthplace, I grew up with a sense of fondness for that City and during the 1950s I visited Madras several times as my maternal grandparents still lived there. The Howrah-Madras Mail connected Rajahmundry and Madras. At Rajahmundry I got connected to the nation and much of it was inspired by the writers and thinkers of Bengal. At the beginning of the 20th century, Bengal shaped our sentiments and exerted a great influence on our minds. I am not surprised that ‘Vande Mataram’ is our National Song and ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is our National Anthem and the honor goes to Bengal. Unfortunately, Madras apart from being the State Capital could not excite Telugu people’s’ hearts in the way Bengal did. I can not recall the name of even one public figure from the Tamil speaking areas of Madras State who may have visited Rajahmundry or other Telugu speaking areas of Madras State. Actually, the relationship between Telugu and Tamils started deteriorating after India’s independence in 1947 and it led to the linguistic partition of India. I am proud of my Telugu heritage but I am not truly happy with the partition of the country on a linguistic basis.

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

C/O Shri. R. Suryanarayana Murthy, M.A., B.Ed.,

13-92 First Cross Road, Prakasam Nagar, Rajahmundry,

East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India.

S.S.L.C. MARCH 1961, Danavaipeta Municipal High School, Rajahmundry.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama – There is Joy in Emptiness

THE SPIRITS OF SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE WELCOME HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA TO ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN. — **THE SPIRITS OF SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE WELCOME HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA TO ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN**

His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama spoke on “Engaging Wisdom and Compassion” on April 19-20, 2008 at Crisler Arena, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

The concept of Sunyata, Emptiness or Nothingness:

The emptying of the mind and the attainment of an undifferentiated unity is a theme of the ‘Sunyata’ doctrine developed by Acharya Nagarjuna. ‘Sunyata’ can be stated as a state of “pure consciousness” in which the mind has been emptied of all particular objects and images. The emptied mind reflects or manifests the undifferentiated reality in which the world appears without distinction and multiplicity.

H.H. Dalai Lama’s presentation :

“At the root of all our suffering lies a form of ignorance, a form of unknowing”. The origin of suffering is attachment. “Self-grasping( or self-focus) gives rise to suffering. It is the root of all afflictions”. “Self-grasping” leads to attachment to impermanent things or thoughts which gives rise to suffering. Emptiness is created by casting aside the attachment to everyday things and worries.

H.H. Dalai Lama advised practicing loving kindness to eliminate the afflictions caused by attachment. The goal, he said is,”Cultivating the Wisdom of no self”, a sense of grand emptiness that leaves behind everyday pollutants that can take both physical or emotional form.

THE SPIRITS OF SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE:

Special Frontier Force is a multinational defense plan to defend freedom and democracy in the occupied Land of Tibet. I had emptied my mind of all desires. The Spirits that inhabit my Consciousness seek Freedom in their Land of origin.

Bharat Darshan – A tribute to Rajahmundry’s traditions of Performing Arts

Government Arts College Rajahmundry - The Tradition of Performing Arts — **Bharat Darshan – A tribute to Rajahmundry’s traditions of Performing Arts**

GOVERNMENT ARTS COLLEGE, RAJAHMUNDRY WHERE STUDENTS EXCEL IN PERFORMING ARTS

The Traditions of Performing Arts in Rajahmundry

Rajahmundry gets credit for being the home for great artists. The first drama in Telugu language was written by Kandukuri Veeresalingam, a native of Rajahmundry. During the few years I spent in Rajahmundry, I had witnessed several wonderful performances and all of them without paying an entrance fee or buying a ticket. The community supports these performances and they are staged for public enjoyment free of cost. I had earlier mentioned about a traditional art form known as ‘BURRA KATHA‘. There is another traditional form of story narration known as ‘HARI KATHA’ and it introduced to me several interesting stories from the Indian epic poems.

**Bharat Darshan – A Tribute to Rajahmundry’s Traditions of performing Arts. The Tradition of story-telling called Harikatha.**

Apart from story narration, Rajahmundry is a great place to witness artists performing drama. The themes are selected from mythology, history, social satire and modern social life. We have several companies in Rajahmundry that provide costumes, makeup artists, and stage equipment. During the major festivals and summer school vacations, we very often get a chance to enjoy the performances on makeshift stages putup at road intersections during night time. At the Government Arts College, Rajahmundry, students always celebrate their annual functions with several drama performances.

Just in Time- A Little Performance for Little Kids:

There is a memorable performance that I witnessed at the Government Arts College, Rajahmundry, fully enacted by little kids. I remember some of the lines from this song drama :

A little girl sings,

“Found a peanut, Found a peanut, Found a peanut Just Now,”

The girl relishes eating the peanut,

Very soon, the girl is in trouble,

“Stomach aching, Stomach aching, Stomach aching Just Now,”

The girl can not bear the pain and asks for help,

“Call the Doctor, Call the Doctor, Call the Doctor Just Now”,

A young kid in doctor’s costume arrives, and the girl instructs the doctor,

“Cut it Open, Cut it Open, Cut it Open Just Now”,

The young doctor performs the mock surgery as the girl demands,

“Find the Peanut, Find the Peanut, Find the Peanut Just Now”,

The doctor successfully removes the offending Peanut, and the girl recovers,

“Thank You Doctor, Thank You Doctor, Thank You Doctor Just Now.”

A Tribute to Rajahmundry’s Traditions of performing Arts

My sister was the little girl in this performance and the audience received this brief show with a great sense of amusement and because of that pleasurable experience, I still happen to remember the lines.

This is my tribute to the great lovers of performing arts whose patronage makes Rajahmundry a wonderful place and I still cherish those pleasant memories of spending the evening hours watching very entertaining dramas.

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

DANAVAIPETA MUNICIPAL HIGH SCHOOL, RAJAHMUNDRY,

S.S.L.C. CLASS OF MARCH, 1961.

**Bharat Darshan – A Tribute to Rajahmundry’s Traditions of Performing Arts. The tradition of story-telling called Burrakatha.**

Bharat Darshan – Rajahmundry – The Gateway to Traditions and History

Rajahmundry – The Gateway to Traditions and History

Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu of Rajahmundry

**Bharat Darshan – Rajahmundry – The Gateway to Traditions and History**

I am a native of Rajahmundry of East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India by way of my family connections. I lived only a small part of my life in my hometown. Within those few years, Rajahmundry very graciously connected me to the nation that we know as India. On one hand, I was introduced to the traditions of River Worship and Idol Worship, I got acquainted with the ideas of Ahimsa (non-injury), and at the same time I was also introduced to India’s history of foreign occupation, the pain imposed by the Muslim invaders, the struggle for Independence from the British Rule and equally important is the social awakening of the people. During the 19th century, India saw the rise of nationalism and simultaneously there was a wish to reform the society. The natives of Rajahmundry received inspiration from a variety of sources.

**Bharat Darshan – Rajahmundry – The Gateway to Traditions and History. ANNIE BESANT – ANGEL OF INDIA.**

Ms. Annie Besant who became the President of the Theosophical Society in 1907 visited Rajahmundry twice and established a place of worship known as ‘Divya Gjyan Samaj’ in a residential sub-division of Rajahmundry which is still known as ‘ALCOT GARDENS’ (named after Theosophist Henry Steel Olcott).

Bipin Chandra Pal (1858-1932), the leader of ‘Vande Mataram’ nationalist movement visited Rajahmundry in April 1907.

Alluri Sita Ramaraju (1898-1924) was inspired by the patriotic zeal of the revolutionaries in Bengal and waged a brief war against the British winning the hearts of the natives of Rajahmundry. 

Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu Garu: 

He was born into a poor Brahmin family at Rajahmundry in 1848. About one hundred years later, when I arrived in Innespeta subdivision of Rajahmundry, the first time I had known this great man was during a visit to the municipal park on the Main Road, just a short walking distance from my grandparents’ house. There is a very imposing statue and people spoke about him with pride and admiration. My eldest brother, Hari was a student at the Veeresalingam Theistic High School in Innespeta. During the academic year 1952-53, I studied in 3rd grade at ‘Shade Girls High School’ located near ‘Kambala Cheruvu’ (Lake Kambala) while my family resided in Danavaipeta subdivision of Rajahmundry. Myself and my elder brother Pratap used to walk to the school and the easiest way to reach the school was a private road which traverses the Veeresalingam Gardens. The subdivisions of Danavai peta and the Danavai Pond and Prakasam Nagar are located on the southern side of the Gardens and Gandhi Nagar is located along the northern perimeter of the Gardens. The school is at a short distance from the north-west entrance to the Gardens. Apart from the tombs of Veeresalingam and his wife Rajya Lakshmi, the Gardens had a venue to conduct marriage functions and there was a Home for Widows. On our way to the school, we used to enter the Widow’s Home and a classmate of ours by name Sai Baba would join us in the walk to the school. On our return trip, the three of us used to reach the Home and after leaving Sai Baba, myself and my brother would resume our walk to our residence in Danavaipeta. There were several occasions when we would wait at the Home while Sai Baba’s mother would be breastfeeding him. During that school year, it was my daily experience and I knew that my friend and his mother derived their support from this great benefactor known as Veeresalingam. 

As my family lived on the outer fringes of Veeresalingam Gardens during the most part of my later school years at Danavaipeta Municipal High School, walking across the Gardens and playing cricket in the evening in the open areas of the Garden became a part of my daily routine. The Gardens had several flowering plants and fruit-bearing trees and to celebrate the festival of Ganesh we used to gather from the Gardens several flowers, leaves, and fruits which are required for the worship. At the same time, I also knew about ‘Hithakarani Samajamu’. Veeresalingam donated all his lifetime earnings and had established this trust in 1907. Addepalli Vivekananda Devi, a social worker, and educationist lived in Danavaipeta and I had seen her several times and I was aware that she was continuing the relentless effort started by Veeresalingam to empower women and for the uplifting of women.

In 1968, Ms. Addepalli Vivekananda Devi successfully established Srimati. Kandukuri Rajya Lakshmi College for Women near the Lake known as ‘Danavai Gunta’. My sister and a sister-in-law studied in this College. 

Veeresalingam was influenced by the ideals of ‘BRAHMO SAMAJ‘ founded by the great social reformers of Bengal, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Keshub Chunder Sen, and Iswar Chandra Vidya Sagar who did much work for women’s emancipation. Veeresalingam was the pioneer of social reform in Andhra areas of the Madras Presidency apart from his remarkable contributions to Telugu literature and for the cause of education.

During the course of life, moments slip away and fortunately, they are laid into account. If there are no memories, there is no life worth speaking about.

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Danavaipeta Municipal High School, Rajahmundry,

S.S.L.C. Class, March 1961

Bharat Darshan – The West Meets the East – Meet the White American Brahmin

The West Meets the East – Meet the White American Brahmin

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (Born. August 2, 1832,Orange, N.J. U.S.A., Died. February 17, 1907, Adyar, Madras (Chennai), India.

**Bharat Darshan – The West Meets the East-Meet the White American Brahmin.**

“OH, East is East, and West is West,

And never the twain shall meet.

Till Earth and Sky stand presently at

God’s Great Judgment Seat.”

(Rudyard Kipling, English poet, novelist, Nobel Prize winner)

The West Meets the East – The East – West Confluence:

Bharat Darshan – The West Meets the East. Meet the White American Brahmin. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott founded the Theosophical Society and established its headquarters at Adyar, Madras, Chennai .

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, an American lawyer and philosopher founded the Theosophical Society in New York City in 1875 along with Russian-born religious mystic Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, William Judge and others. He became the first president of the Theosophical Society. In 1878 he and Blavatsky visited India. The two settled there in 1879 and in 1882 established the permanent headquarters of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras. Theosophy incorporates aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christian esotericism. His acceptance by and influence on the Buddhists was far reaching. Identified with Eastern philosophical thought, he also helped revive Hindu philosophy. A Pandit conferred on him the sacred thread of the Brahmin caste.

Olcott dedicated his energies to fraternal understanding and the search for truth. He referred to theosophists as “original searchers after spiritual knowledge”. In his farewell message he expressed the wish ” to impress on all men on earth that ‘there is no religion higher than Truth’ and that in the Brotherhood of Religions lies the peace and progress of humanity.”

Upon his death at Adyar, Madras, India in 1907, Olcott was succeeded as president by Ms. Annie Besant, a social reformer and Indian independence leader. She visited my home town Rajahmundry twice and established ‘Divya Gjyan Samaj'(Divine Wisdom Assembly) building at Alcot Gardens. The teachings of the Theosophical Society emphasized human service, a spiritual evolutionism and the role of suprahuman masters of Wisdom (“ADEPTS”).

The natives of my home town Rajahmundry still honour the memory of Colonel Olcott. The residential community of ‘Alcot Gardens’ derives its name from “Olcott”. (Kindly review the comment posted .)

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Danavaipeta Municipal High School, Rajahmundry, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India,

S.S.L.C., Class of March, 1961.

**THE WEST MEETS THE EAST. MEET THE WHITE AMERICAN BRAHMIN. ANNIE BESANT – ANGEL OF INDIA .**

Akshaya Paatra – Discover Bliss from an empty pot

DHARMA RAJA, THE ELDEST OF PANDAVA PRINCES RECEIVING “AKSHAYA PAATRA” FROM ‘SURYA BHAGAWAN’

**Akshaya Patra. Discover Bliss From an Empty Pot.**

THE STORY OF AKSHAYA PAATRA:

**Akshaya Paatra – Discover Bliss from an empty pot. There are several interesting legends associated with Akshaya Tritiya.**

The word ‘Akshaya Paatra’ in the Sanskrit language means an inexhaustible vessel. This pot could supply delicious meals in an endless manner. This story is found in the Indian Epic poem of Mahabharata. Akshaya Paatra was a divine gift given to Dharmaraj by the Sun god, Surya. The pot was given to help the princely family of Pandavas to tide over their difficulties while they spent twelve years in the forest. They had to spend time in exile after losing their kingdom in a game of dice. Akshaya Paatra would provide meals so that the Pandava family could keep up with the Indian traditions of hospitality.Also keeping in line with the tradition, each day Akshaya Paatra would serve the final and last meal to the hostess. The hostess, Draupadi was very mindful of her traditional role and each day she would feed all the guests, all the dependents, all the family members and would then take the last meal.

THE DISCOVERY OF BLISS FROM AN EMPTY POT:

As per the story from Mahabharata, one evening, Draupadi found herself in a troubled situation. A Hindu sage by the name of Durvasa with a large entourage of his disciples arrived at the forest abode of Pandavas after Draupadi had taken the last meal from Akshaya Paatra. She prayed to Lord Krishna seeking help to feed her guests. Lord Krishna appeared before her and asked her to feed Him from Akshaya Paatra. Draupadi regretfully answered that the pot was empty. He directed her to take a closer look. Draupadi carefully reexamined the pot and discovered a single grain of rice that was stuck in the pot. As instructed, she fed the last grain from the pot to Lord Krishna and now the pot became truly empty. Lord Krishna derived His satisfaction when the last grain from the pot was removed and simultaneously, the entire party of guests experienced full satiation and Draupadi escaped from the burden of actually feeding them that evening.

I am speaking of this story about Akshaya Paatra to understand the concept about emptying the mind to discover pure consciousness. In Indian literature and idiom, the mind is often compared to a vessel or a pot. When all thoughts ( or desires) are taken out of the mind, what would remain in the mind is like that single grain of rice that Draupadi had discovered in the otherwise empty Akshaya Paatra. This last grain would represent the pure consciousness which discovers its unity with the Divine consciousness to provide pure Bliss and Joy. Lord Krishna could have easily provided a hearty meal to the entire party of guests. He did not choose to provide happiness through gratification of the physical needs of the body. Akshaya Paatra if seen as the representation of the mind, the mind was truly emptied when the last grain was removed from it and Lord Krishna demonstrated that there is no need to fill-up the pot to feed our desires. He delivered Joy, Bliss, and a total sense of perfect satisfaction while the pot remained empty. Just like the empty Akshaya Paatra that provided Bliss, when the last grain of desire is removed from the mind and given in offering to the Lord, the Lord would provide all that you may need without physical gratification of the senses. Man at any given age, under all given circumstances, in good health, or ill-health exists in this physical world because of ‘God-Connection’, the Connection between man, the energy seeker, and God, the energy provider. When the God-Connection is recognized, man experiences a sense of satisfaction, mental satiation, and he would have no desires to be gratified.

**Akshaya Patra. Discover the Bliss From an Empty Pot.**

“There is Joy in Emptiness”

The Dalai Lama is believed to be a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born in 1935 in a small hamlet in northeastern Tibet. At the age of 2, the child who was named Lhamo Dhondup, was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.

The 14th Dalai Lama will visit Ann Arbor for a series of talks in Crisler Arena at the University of Michigan on Saturday and Sunday April 19 and 20. His presentation of the University of Michigan’s annual Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability is in celebration of Earth Day. The Wege Lecture is sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Systems at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. He will also present a two-day program with two sessions on April 19 and 20. The session will focus on ” Engaging Wisdom and Compassion “. The teaching will be based on Acharya Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Ultimate Compassion and Je Tsong Khapa’s “In Praise of Dependent Origination.”

The Nature of Existence – The concept of Sunyata (Emptiness or Nothingness):

**There is Joy in Emptiness. ‘Engaging Wisdom and Compassion’. The Dalai Lama spoke at Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor.** Acharya Nagarjuna (A.D. 150-A.D. 250), the proponent of the ‘Sunyata’ doctrine.

Acharya Nagarjuna (A.D. 150- A.D. 250) born into a Brahmin family had lived in the present State of Andhra Pradesh, India. The emptying of the mind and the attainment of an undifferentiated unity is the theme of the ‘SUNYATA’ doctrine developed by Acharya Nagarjuna. ‘Sunyata’ is described as a state of “Pure Consciousness” in which the mind has been emptied of all particular objects and images. The emptied mind reflects or manifests the undifferentiated reality in which the world appears without distinctions and multiplicity. Nagarjuna was critical of both Buddhist and Hindu views on existence. According to Nagarjuna, the individual person is empty and lacks an eternal self. He extended the concept of ‘Sunyata’ to cover all concepts and all entities.

Nagarjuna’s philosophy is also called ‘Madhyamika’ because it claims to tread the middle path. As per Nagarjuna, the nature of existence is relational. There is no eternal reality behind changing forms of existence. There is no soul, no thing, no concept independent of its context, all things are empty of an absolute reality and exist only in relation to conditions.

The knowledge, perceiving the emptiness of all things and hence becoming detached from them, would help us to practice “nonattachment” in our engagement with people. If “EMPTINESS” is the highest Wisdom, it would help us to develop a sense of detachment and enable us to act with Compassion.

H.H. DALAI LAMA’S PRESENTATION -“ENGAGING WISDOM AND COMPASSION”:

There is Joy in Emptiness. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama spoke on ‘Engaging Wisdom and Compassion’ on April 19-20, 2008 at Ann Arbor.

“At the root of all our suffering lies a form of ignorance, a form of unknowing”. The origin of suffering is attachment. “Self-grasping( or self-focus) gives rise to suffering. It is the root of all afflictions.” “Self-grasping” leads to attachment to impermanent things or thoughts which gives rise to suffering.

**My Philosophy of Medicine reviews the Buddhist Doctrine of Dependent Origination of Pain and Suffering**

Emptiness is created by casting aside the attachment to everyday things and worries. “The ultimate awakening mind is the Wisdom that directly realizes emptiness.”

H.H. Dalai Lama advised practicing loving kindness to eliminate the afflictions caused by attachment. The ultimate goal, he said is “cultivating the Wisdom of no self”, a sense of grand emptiness that leaves behind everyday pollutants that can take both physical or emotional form.

**There is Joy in Emptiness. Is there Joy in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize?**

I am that I am – I will be what I will be

MOSES PARTS THE RED SEA IN THE 1956 FILM TEN COMMANDMENTS DIRECTED BY DEMILLE

This entry is dedicated to the memory of legendary actor Charles Heston who passed away on April 5, 2008 at age 84.

In the Holy Bible, The Old Testament, The Second Book of Moses known as EXODUS traces Moses’ personal development and his emergence as one of history’s most decisive, powerful leaders. In Jewish history, Moses earned a place primarily as a liberator. He led the march from slavery to freedom, from Egypt to the Promised Land. Jews celebrate their liberation from slavery in Egypt as “PASSOVER” festival. Passover is one of the most important Jewish festivals. It is celebrated for seven days (by the Jewish calendar, Nisan 15-22). In year 2008, the festival begins on Saturday, April 19th. Jews celebrate the festival while reading the Book of Exodus. It includes encounters and conversations with God that have no equal in the Bible. Exodus contains much material about the nature of God. Moses met God in intimate ways which is not possible for other humans.

THE PROPER NAME OF GOD:

EXODUS, Chapter 3, verses 13-14

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘What is his name ?’ Then what shall I tell them ?”

God said to Moses, “I AM THAT I AM.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites. ‘I AM has sent me to you.”

I AM is the most proper name of God because it signifies that the being of God is His very essence and it is the proof of His existence. The great “I AM” would represent the following ideas and you may explore these thoughts and the references are cited :